I need your opinion - Software aided mechanical product design tool

We developed software aided tool in such way that, when someone enter all the specifications about the part like bearing, centrifugal fan,...etc it will display in terms of design or you can say it visualize u the exact model, the part actually looks like after that specifications.
Most of the time after getting specifications Mechanical Engg. and Manufacturers of Mechanical parts has to wait for designer to design it, but here in this tool, when you enter your specification in the fields available you can visualize exact model.
What do you think, this tool will give some solutions to designing issues of Mechanical Engg. and Manufacturers of Mechanical parts...?Waiting for your Responses...

Hi Erich
Sorry, if my statement seems vogue.
Lets go like this....
If you want to build one new bearing with your required sopecification then , it may happen that you have to draw its design or somebody will draw it for you, but in this case there may be a chances of some human errors. But in our designig tool, you have to enter just your requirements, for example 1. Diameter of Bearing 2. No of seals in bearing 3. cartridge width of baring 4. bore size and many more, and you can get the exact design of bearing what you are thinking of in your mind and in few seconds, which is ready for its physical manufacturing.
This tool will provide you front view, side view, top view of the bearing.
Same for centrfugal fan and other mechanical parts too. If you think,I able to clear vogueness of my statement then please reply...

Hello Mahesh
Thanks for viewing and submitting comment. It will be my pleasure to demonstrate our tool to you, but uploading video as per my company norms,its not possible for me right now. If it is possible for you to give me your mail ID , so that our thread of interesting conversation can be started about the tool performance and it will be helpful for me too .
Thanks Mahesh Waiting for your response

From the description given (if I understand it right of course) my guess is this program utilizes an idea of visualizing some standard parts like, say, gears on the basis of the specification spreadsheet. This idea actually can be interesting but only if: 1). Database of possible parts will be large enough; 2). It has to take into account different standards, not just say ASME or DIN only; 3). A lot of import options will be available including import to FEA programs, not just CAD/CAE.

Hello ShchegolevN
Thanks for spending your precious time on reading and responding on this post. I am happy to tell you that we are trying to maintain a large enough data which will help, Mechanical Engg. and Manufacturers of Mechanical parts to have exact design of part they want to design, according to their needs and requirement which will also follow the standards like ASME. This tool is also helpful to Mechanical Engg. and Manufacturers of Mechanical parts, to go beyond standards and try out their research for innovations( If standards are breached tool will notify).Above all is possible because we are giving this tool as web based service to our client, but if someone needs it as one time desktop product then also option is available.
I think I clarify your most of the points.... If you have any query or suggestion regarding this tool we are eager to listen.
Thank you ShchegolevN.

On the level of simpler components, what I think you're describing sounds much like the parametric component generation included in many CAD packages today... creating fasteners, gears, bearings. Most of these are inclusion in a larger design. for example to show a bolt or bearing in a machine, not to actually design the bolt or bearing.

This could be extended to create sets of similar assemblies like the centrifugal fan in your example, but it would have to be designed first, and the original designer would have to define what variables can be changed, and what the limits of those variables are. Depending on what you're doing (and how often there will be minor variations) this may or may not be practical or cost effective.

Some years ago I remember hearing a guy on another CAD forum who was using such a system to design fire trucks. The basic arrangement never changed, but the size and number of tanks would be different for each customer. His solution was a program running in the applications internal programming language (in this case Cadkey and Cadkey's internal CADL programming language). Around the same time, I quoted a similar system for designing ski lifts... the program would read in a series of mountain survey measurements and other parameters from a file, and create a complete 3D model of the lift. That project (actually an update of a system they were already using; they wanted to update it to work with the new version of the CAD system) fell through, though, so it never went past the proposal stage. Probably a good thing it never happened; it was one of those ill defined projects with a clueless manager, so it likely would have been a nightmare.

Hi Dana
Its always to have opinion and suggestion from experts so really thanks and I am really glad to have you on this post.
Your example of that guy who was designing fire trucks, focuses on true fact that basics never changes.
I agree with you, we are also trying to stick to the basics of mechanical design.
CAD packages includes almost all parametric component generations, CAD is too vast that we can use it for generating many type of designs in civil architecture, in animations, in television advertisements...... etc., So that costly too as compared to our tool. We are mostly concentrating on only Mechanical parts designing tool, which will mainly focuses on the mechanical designs, with well low rates than CAD software's available in market.To use CAD software we need CAD-CAM professional to whom we have to pay handsome amount. But we made our User interface simple and easy to work on. So that any person who has some knowledge about designs and specification can structure his idea into standard mechanical design, so small scale manufacturing firms can avail the benefits of computer aided software design of mechanical parts with less efforts and saving lots of expenditure on design generation. what do you think...?
Thanks Dana

Hello ShchegolevN Thanks for spending your precious time on reading and responding on this post. I am happy to tell you that we are trying to maintain a large enough data which will help, Mechanical Engg. and Manufacturers of Mechanical parts to have exact design of part they want to design, according to their needs and requirement which will also follow the standards like ASME. This tool is also helpful to Mechanical Engg. and Manufacturers of Mechanical parts, to go beyond standards and try out their research for innovations( If standards are breached tool will notify).Above all is possible because we are giving this tool as web based service to our client, but if someone needs it as one time desktop product then also option is available. I think I clarify your most of the points.... If you have any query or suggestion regarding this tool we are eager to listen. Thank you ShchegolevN.

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Hello. You have answered to my questions but only partially. You say that your database will be large but you do not specify details. There are quite many parts as Dana said, what's your main area of interest? Also you haven't commented the import options: I don't think anyone will buy your program if there will be no possibility to transfer the work results to AutoCAD at the very least. You may have your own standard of course which is cheaper but who is going to use it if this standard is unknown? You also mentioned web-based service, how will it work? The client fills-in the spec, the program calculates and sends him what? A set of drawings? A complete model? How the corrections can be made on later stage (they will be necessary for sure). Can the client change something himself without your interference?

On the level of simpler components, what I think you're describing sounds much like the parametric component generation included in many CAD packages today... creating fasteners, gears, bearings. Most of these are inclusion in a larger design. for example to show a bolt or bearing in a machine, not to actually design the bolt or bearing.

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Well, yes, there are some pre-included packages here and there but I find them to be not so useful. May you please tell me if you have used the standard packages you've liked?

That project (actually an update of a system they were already using; they wanted to update it to work with the new version of the CAD system) fell through, though, so it never went past the proposal stage. Probably a good thing it never happened; it was one of those ill defined projects with a clueless manager, so it likely would have been a nightmare.

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That is a fate of many projects for better or worse. What sounds good for the creator of the software may be a very bad thing for the user and a feedback is usually lacking. But CAD programs sure have some areas to attend. As for me these are the import formats, I spare too much time because of program incompatibilities.